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Wizards Moral Victory Tour Rolls On

A key missed free throw made Chris Singleton the Moral Victory Player of the Game in the Wizards double overtime loss to Charlotte. Getty Images

The Washington Wizards continued their stellar moral victory (MV) campaign with a double overtime loss to the Charlotte Bobcats at Verizon Center last night. By staying close before finally succumbing, the Wizards ran their MV record to a league best 10-1 -- their lone moral defeat coming at Charlotte.

Major MV contributors include Chris Singleton, who got fouled on a three-point attempt with 0.4 seconds remaining in the first overtime. Down two, Singleton could have won the game by making all three, but missed one and sent the game to a second extra period.

Nene also led the way by playing well, blowing past his minutes limit, and giving up a key rebound off a missed Charlotte free throw attempt to Bobcats PG Kemba Walker -- who's approximately a foot shorter.

Head coach Randy Wittman contributed as well by keeping Washington's two most productive players this season (Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza) on the bench and giving extended minutes to guys like Jordan Crawford (who can't shoot straight) and rookie Bradley Beal (who continues to struggle with his shot).

The Wizards are now the best 0-11 team in league history, and they have every opportunity to become the best 0-12 team ever since they face the Spurs next. The longest losing streak to start a season is 18 games -- a record posted by the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets.

Could Washington surpass the Nets? It'll be a challenge, but the Wizards should not be counted out. Their schedule gets more challenging over the next several weeks.

San Antonio

Portland

@ New York

Miami

@ Atlanta

Golden State

@ New Orleans

@ Houston

Los Angeles Lakers

@ Miami

Atlanta

@ Orlando

@ Detroit

By my estimation, the Wizards have a realistic chance of going to New Orleans at 0-17. That game against the Hornets is likely their best chance of avoiding a record-tying start to their season -- although they'll have to face Anthony Davis (who's terrific) and Ryan Anderson (who the Hornets acquired using the Wizards' cap space).

If the Wizards can't beat New Orleans, there's a solid chance they could run their winless streak to 22 before back-to-back road games against Orlando and Detroit -- teams almost as bad as they are.

Of course, real Wizards fans have moved beyond regular wins and losses by now. We're now in the business of assessing how they're playing -- regardless of what the scoreboard says. We're in the business of celebrating moral victories and entertainment value.